Simple recipes from my kitchen and garden

Salad Greens

I got a late start this year, but a variety of salad greens are coming along and soon we’ll be having our first big salad from the garden. I direct sowed a few varieties of lettuce, some new and some saved from last year.

Last year I let much of my lettuce go to seed and this spring some seedlings have popped up where I wasn’t expecting them. This is why lettuce is such a great beginner’s crop. The quality of home-grown is so much better than what you find at the grocery store, and it’s so easy to save the seeds. It’s practically free.

I also have red mustard, arugula, and radish growing, along with carrot seedlings that need thinning. I’m a lazy gardener, so I sow all of these thickly and enjoy the plants at every stage of growth as I thin them, from sprouts to seeds. I’m really looking forward to the harvest.

I’m Naima

I’m a nutritionist with an edible garden in Ridgewood, Queens. I love to cook for family and friends and sometimes I cook for big crowds, too. Here you’ll find simple recipes from my kitchen and garden, inspired by home cooks and gardeners everywhere.